Quite a few owners reviewing the Shake Weight for Men at Amazon.com confirm
that using it for brief workouts does give muscles a pumped, burning sensation
right away. However, Cipriano -- in agreement with several other exercise
experts -- recommends a regular weightlifting program for better results
overall. A traditional and more successful approach to building and strengthening
muscles would gradually increase the weight far beyond five pounds. The bottom
line: The Shake Weight for Men might give your arms some minor toning but
don't expect miracles.

We found three reviews of the Shake Weight for Men based on personal tests
by the authors. Chris Woolston's review at the Los Angeles Times tops our
list, because it includes information from exercise experts as well. The
review at ColumbusAlive.com, a weekly entertainment publication for Columbus,
Ohio, discusses both the Shake Weight and the workout featured in the included
DVD. A review at Wired specifies the product's pros and cons. An article
by Johann Verheem at Inc. magazine is also on hands-on testing. We found
skeptical reviews of both the men's and women's versions at WalletPop.com,
WorldOfDiets.com and HealthAndFitnessAdvice.com, plus ratings and comments
from about 30 owners at Amazon.com.

Our Sources

The author reports on his own experience trying the Shake Weight; he says his arm muscles were exhausted after just 30 seconds. He also consults two exercise experts, both of whom agree that the Shake Weight is not a substitute for a regular weight-lifting program. David Swain, a professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., is quite skeptical about the Shake Weight. Daniel Cipriani, whose lab tests confirm that the device gets muscles fired up, agrees that it's more useful for brief breaks than for six-minute arm workouts.

In this weekly publication based in Columbus, Ohio, Jesse Tigges shares his own experience using the Shake Weight, and he provides useful details about the six-minute workout featured in the DVD that comes with it. He does the complete routine three times for a full 20 minutes, but discovers "That next-day burn that usually accompanies a good workout was sorely lacking."

This review is based on personal tests conducted by the author. Leckart concludes that the Shake Weight and its exercise DVD have potential for hilarious entertainment, but not for serious exercise. Using the Shake Weight as directed can result in some sensations of muscle tension, but it doesn't come close to matching a regular weight-lifting regime -- either for raising heart rate or inducing the eventual muscle soreness that usually indicates a successful workout.

Christine Lagorio interviews the inventor of the Shake Weight, Johann Verheem, who discusses the evolution of the device as well as its amazing burst of publicity. Verheem says he's not at all dismayed by the spoofs on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Saturday Night Live" -- instead, he finds them hilarious. He says part of the point of the Shake Weight is to make a device that catches people's attention, adding "Part of our job is to get them motivated to exercise."

This brief review of both the men's and women's Shake Weight models concludes that "shaking just about anything for six minutes a day is a better workout than lying still on a couch." The reviewer says she consulted several personal trainers, all of whom say it's a waste of money. Kim Sanborn, a trainer based in Virginia, says the Shake Weight is not heavy enough to tone muscles or increase heart rates successfully.

This skeptical review of both the men's and women's versions of the Shake Weight notes the discrepancies in the ads -- preventing bulk for women, but adding bulk for men -- and doubts that the difference in weight could possibly achieve this. The fixed weight is another drawback, but the reviewer notes that some users do report results and that using the Shake Weight is "better than not exercising at all." More than 170 readers add comments, and feedback is pretty split: Some say they notice a difference in their arms, while others say the Shake Weight is a dud.

The Shake Weight for Men earns largely positive ratings here from the 50 or so owners reviewing it, with about 75 percent saying they're happy with it. Detractors find it hard to use as directed, while others say that its effectiveness is very limited. However, many users say they can feel their muscles burn after using the Shake Weight. One unsatisfied user says he never received a refund on return shipping (though it's promised on the site).

ConsumerSearch editors personally research every product category to recommend the best choices. Expert review sources are heavily weighted, but user reviews, especially those where durability or usability are a factor, are crucial to helping us finalize our top picks.

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